Ten Facts about Mars

Fact One

Of all the planets in the Solar System, Mars is the one that people believe is most likely to contain or to have contained life. In 1900, a prize was offered to the first person to be contact an extra-terrestrial being. However, this extra-terrestrial being was not allowed to come from Mars because that would make the competition too easy! In 1938, a radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells (a story about an invasion of Earth by Martians) caused a near panic in America because so many people believed it to be true.

Fact Two

The largest volcano in the Solar System is on Mars. It is called Olympus Mons.

Fact Three

Fact Four

Mars is believed to have had water flowing around it like
Earth once. It may have had a blue sky too. However, it is unlikely that it had grass, trees and plants like
Earth has now.

Fact Five

The Valles Marineris, the greatest gorge on any planet in the Solar System, was caused when volcanoes erupting around it tore up the land, leaving a huge valley.

Fact Six

We can see how long Mars has been a 'dead' planet by the number of
meteorite impacts on its surface. In comparison,
Earth and Venus have fewer impact craters because they have newer surfaces formed by recent geological activity.

Fact Seven

Mars has seasons like Earth. This is caused by the tilt of the planet's axis, at a similar angle to the
tilt of Earth's axis.

Fact Eight

Fact Nine

The first space probe to take pictures of Mars' surface (Mariner 4 in 1964) is still in space
although inactive, orbiting the Sun. Still orbiting Mars
itself are Mariner 9 (launched in 1971, now in active), Viking 1 and 2 (launched
in 1975, now inactive), the Mars Global Surveyor (launched in 1996, now
inactive), Mars Odyssey 2001 and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. These are American
NASA space probes. Europe's active Mars Express (launched in 2003) is currently
in orbit of Mars. Russian probes orbiting Mars are Mars 2 and Mars 3 (launched in 1971), Mars 5 (launched in 1973) and Phobos 1 (launched in 1988).
None of these are active. Japan launched Nozomi in 1998, but it ran out of fuel
and now floats around the solar system around the Sun.

Fact Ten

Rocks from Mars have landed on Earth from
meteorite impacts blasting debris through space.

Mars is almost always sunny but very very cold. Dust in the thin atmosphere can cause haziness, and frost can form in polar regions. Thin water-ice clouds can form. Mars is extremely dry so there is never any rain on the planet (this may have been different in the past when surface water was present and the atmosphere was thicker). Mars has seasons, which means that the weather changes dependent on season - at the equator in summer, temperatures can reach up to 27 °c (80 °F). Mars is mostly calm although wind speeds can reach up to 100 mph and cause dust storms which can completely cover the planet.